Improvement is a Learning Process
by Akenomyosei
Summary: Everything from clichés, to mechanics, to actual plot development. A guide for new and old writers on spotting and correcting the many "wrongs" in stories.
1. Chapter 1

Hello reader!

I've been reading fanfiction since I was in middle school, and trust me when I say that was a long time ago. And a long story short, I've noticed some things over the years that have bothered me about some of the work on this site. You see my dear reader, my problem is that most people on here publish things on that don't follow the rules and guidelines of the site (Please look below for the Guidelines).

_**FanFiction does not filter content and is an open system that trusts the writer's judgement. However, there is an inherent responsibility that falls to writers as a result.**__**Here is a list of conducts that should always be observed:**_

_**Spell check all story and poetry. There is no excuse for not performing this duty. If you do not have a word processor that has the spell checking feature, use a search engine such as to find one.**_

_**Proofread all entries for grammar and other aspects of writing before submission. 'Hot off the press' content is often riddled with errors. No one is perfect but it is the duty of the writer to perform to the best of his/her ability.**_

_**Respect the reviewers. Not all reviews will strictly praise the work. If someone rightfully criticizes a portion of the writing, take it as a compliment that the reviewer has opted to spend his/her valuable time to help improve your writing.**_

_**Everyone here is an aspiring writer. Respect your fellow members and lend a helping a hand when they need it. Like many things, the path to becoming a better writer is often a two way street.**_

_**Use proper textual formatting. For example: using only capital letters in the story title, summary, or content is not only incorrect but also a disregard for the language itself.**_

Now I'm not trying to come off as someone who's rude, but I feel that the problem is that no one has addressed this issue before, well to the extent I wish to go about it anyway. You see my dear reader, my plan for this story is to make a collection of problems I've found wrong on this site and address the issue and correct them. Please note that I love to give examples, so for the sake of the story, I will be using _One Piece_ related material to give examples of what I mean.

I'm no English teacher, and I know that good writing takes time and effort to develop. But the thing is that if no one at least tries to make suggestions, or point out flaws, than how can one improve upon them?

Please keep in mind that I'm not trying to tell anyone that their writing is bad, I simply want to point out the flaws in what I've seen so that we as a community can work and fix them so that the next time someone writes, we can see improvement.

And to be fair, If I write something that isn't correct, such as grammar or spelling, please tell me about it so I can correct myself. Thank you for listening to my disclaimer, now on to the story!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

* * *

**_Character Summaries_**

Now here's the problem I've noticed in a lot of writings...

Writers tend to give a detailed summary of what the character is wearing, their occupation, and their looks when introducing their story.

You see my dear reader, this is a problem simply because half of their introduction is a description of characters we already know about. I mean lets think logically about this for a second. Obviously if someone is looking up stories about their favorite show, they already know what the character looks like, their personality, even their admissions; so stating the obvious is usually a big turn off for a story to have. Someone may have a good idea for a story, but they are losing half of their readers because they got bored after the first two sentences. But don't get me wrong, having some character description is a good thing too. To prove my point let me give you two examples; one good, one bad.

_Example 1_

_The Straw-hat's navigator , Nami, slowly stood up from her stop on her lounge chair at the sound of her captains excited cries. She was a pretty girl, no older than 18, with curves in all the right places. Her playful brown eyes sparkled at the thought of adding another island to her map. She was wearing her usual outfit, that was a simple tee-shirt and mini-skirt. Her heels cliqued on the deck of the Thousand Sunny as she walked toward the edge of the ship to get a better view of the island._

_Example 2_

_Nami slowly looked down at her wrist to see the log pose pointing to the same area her captains excited cries came from. She stood up from her lounge chair , brushed away some of her long hair that had fallen onto her face when she looked down at her wrist, and made her way over to the edge of the ship to get a better view of the island she would soon be documenting._

In the first example, told you things about Nami you already knew. I also gave you more description about her in that one paragraph, than you would probably see in the entire story, excluding the other character descriptions in it. The first example is the bad one because I'm essentially just adding unneeded fluff to a story. Please keep in mind that in a story like example one, not only would Nami get an unwanted description, but so would the others as well.

In the second example I gave you a description of her as a way of establishing the time where the story will take place (her long hair would imply that this story will that place after the war). I also told you that she was the navigator without actually saying the word navigator (she was holding the log pose, and I mentioned that she would want to document the island).

Just remember my dear reader that "less is more" when it comes to descriptions. That way you can get to the main story that much faster, and manage to keep your viewers.

* * *

I also want to take the time to mention OC's or Mary Sue's, as they are famous for being the center of long winded, detailed explanations. It would make sense for me to include them in this chapter, but I think the subject of OC's should have its own chapter.

* * *

**~Done**

**Well my dear reader, I think that's all I have to say about character descriptions regarding cannon characters. I hope it helps you out. Until next time!**

**Thank you for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. Bye~**


	3. Chapter 3

**I want to say thank you to _The Phophet's Prophet _for your review, and for pointing out that the site didn't allow me to post the specific search engine. In case it wasn't obvious, I'm still new to the whole posting and editing process of the site. But I think I'm getting the hang of it! I know that my writing this "story" can come across as arrogant, especially since I know that there will be mistakes in my writing no matter how many times I check my work before posting. Actually the main reason for not posting something like this sooner, is because I was afraid I would come across as arrogant, and people would take it the wrong way. I want to stress that I know my writing needs work, and I would appreciate it if my readers point out my own flaws, so that way we can all learn from my mistakes. Again thanks for the review and for the heads up regarding the fact that this "story" could be taken down.**

**With that said, onward to Chapter 2!**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

**_Leave yourself out of the story_**

In some stories there will be instances like this...

_Example 1_

_Sanji's eye's turned into hearts at the sight of the beautiful woman in front of him. (XD)_

I know it's not the greatest example ever, but I have read multiple stories where the author tends to write something "funny", and then they feel the need to put in parentheses something along the lines of how funny their previous statement was. _Now this is a matter of personal opinion_, but I feel that when an author does that, it takes away from the mood and tone of the story.

I don't know why it bothers me so much, but it probably has something to do with my philosophy of how a story should stay a story and that there is a time and place when a writer can address their audience. Think of it like you were reading a really good book, the author keeps the story with the story and saves all the comments towards the back of the book after the epilogue.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that when a writer buts into their story, it kind of comes across as they're laughing at their own joke or that they're breaking up the flow of the story. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but as I stated before, there is a time and place for addressing your audience. Here is a way you can do that without interrupting your story, create a footnote at the bottom of the page. That way, you can still get your opinion in the story, but also keep the flow and pace of the story uninterrupted.

I have something to add to my previously mentioned statement. As you know my dear reader, I said that there is a time and a place for interrupting your story. In stories where the point of view is strictly third person, and the setting has nothing to do with you what so ever, that is when it would be best to use the footnotes to add your opinion to the story. However in stories like this one, where you are addressing the reader, it is OK to add your thoughts to your writing. Just to clarify what I mean, I'll give you examples.

_Example 1_

_Sanji's eye's turned into hearts at the sight of the beautiful woman in front of him (XD). He quickly dropped the money Nami-san had given him for food and darted towards her ( I wish that was me;) )_

_Example 2 _

_Sanji's eye's turned into hearts at the sight of the beautiful woman in front of him. He quickly dropped the money Nami-san had given him for food and darted towards her._

_*Please pretend that this is the end of the "chapter" where the footnote would start_

_Well everyone thanks for reading!_

_Man I wish I was the girl Sanji ran after XD_

_Well until next time._

Again, it's not the best example. But anyway, as you noticed in the first example, It kind of feels like I'm a part of the story, or _trying_ to be. And in the second example, I'm using my opinions as more of a closing statement. Remember that this is a matter of personal opinion, but to me, the story sounds more professional when the opinions are saved until the end.

* * *

**~Done**

**I hope it helps you out!**

**I also want to stress the fact that this "story" is mostly my thoughts and opinions of things I_ think_ sound awkward in stories I've read, and how I would go about fixing them if I were to edit them. I am by no means an English scholar, and I'm open to any suggestions that will help me improve my writing. I also want to apologize for any mistakes you may find in my "story" and I would appreciate you telling them to me so I can fix them. This story is just as much a learning experience for me as it is for you.**

**Thank you for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. Bye~**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm happy to report that I finally understand how to edit chapters! Not that I'll do it any time soon, but at least I know for future reference.**

**Anyway, I'm just going to warn you that this chapter has a slight mention of adult content. And by that I mean that the words yaoi and smutty are used so it's not too bad.**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_**Love and Romance**_

Upon discovering this site, back when I was a young middle school student, I had no idea what some of the terminology the authors were using in their descriptions meant. Fluff, lemon, nakamaship, yuri, yaoi… what did it all mean? Let's just say I figured it out pretty quick.

Now I'm all for a good love story, or a fluffy nakamaship moment. Hell, I didn't even mind reading certain yaoi fics and I used to avoid them at all costs, used to being the key words. But there are some fics out there that make me cringe reading them, just because the scenario seems so random and the plot is sporadic.

I absolutely love it when stories have a plausible explanation for their plots, but when cannon characters turn OC for the whole story, that's where I draw the line.

You see my dear reader, I feel that a story isn't a story if there is simply no plot to it. And just to clarify, character A and character B having an intense make out session with little to no backstory of how they got there doesn't qualify. I'm sorry, but when Zoro and Sanji of all people start passionately making out with each other in the first chapter without any build up or any reason behind it, the story seems out of place with the canon. It just seems rushed and I don't know… smutty.

Now if authors were writing their story with that intent than that's fine. I respect your decision. It's just that it's not really my thing to read anything fast paced without a clear beginning, middle and end.

Now, I know what you're thinking. "If you don't like it, then don't read it." And I can't agree with you more. I can't tell you how to write a story and what it should and can't have in it.

The point of this site is to be creative and have fun writing about something you like.

What I can tell you is my advice on the matter; how you can make the next romance seen more cannon-ish (if that's even a word) or give it more of a story. So here it is…

The first thing you should be aware of is the two (or more) characters you plan on writing about. And when I say that I mean you should really know them and not just their surface attitudes or personalities. For example, Zoro is _independent_, _lazy _and_ powerful_. My problem with this description of him is that there is more to him than that, and for some reason, some authors seem to forget that or forget to include it in their story that he is also a reliable big brother figure who loves his crew so much, that he would risk his life and dream for them.

The next thing you should know is their daily interactions with each other; Zoro and Sanji fight… a lot, what more could be said? In fact, a lot could be said. Just like the rest of the Straw Hats, they love each other like a family. They have shown each other a lot of respect and understanding. They work well with each other, to the point where they don't even have to verbally communicate in a fight to take down an opponent together, which would only happen if they have a very strong bond. You see my dear reader, it's the little things you pick up on that make the story that much better.

Speaking about the rest of the Straw Hats, I have a question for you my dear reader. Why is it that the others aren't really mentioned or seen, like at all? Their on the same ship, right? Or better yet, why do their personalities suddenly become shallow and underdeveloped when they are introduced to the story? My answers are because the author either needed a love rival, or they don't really get the fact that the crew's demeanor and dynamics never, and I repeat never, change. So please remember that the rest of the crew is just as important to the story as the two main focuses are.

The final thing you should keep in mind is the overall pacing of not only your story, but the actual manga or anime version as well. For instance, One Piece has a very slow pacing to it and Oda has stated that he wouldn't be focusing on romance. That should kind of apply to your story as well. I know that your ideas and Oda's ideas are different, and you don't have to copy him to get a good story. But it feels kind of wrong to turn the characters he's spent years developing into confused, hormone raging teens who all of a sudden crave sex to the point that they don't care about their other nakama. Don't rush the romance, build up to it.

* * *

**~Done**

**This was kind of hard for me to write because I couldn't find the right words on how to address my problems with some of the romance stories I've read. But I knew that I would have to mention this subject eventually, since most of this site is a giant love story. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I usually look up romance or nakamaship stories anyway.**

**It was just hard to do because I know so many people write their stories with the intent to be as smutty as possible, and really, who am I to tell them how to manage their pacing or their plot. **

**But this is what I came up with so I hope it helps.**

**Thank you for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. Bye~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4**

* * *

**_Reviews Please!_**

I can't begin to count the number of times I've read something along these lines:

"Review or I'll discontinue the story."

"This is my first story, so please no flames."

Every time I see those words, I mentally sigh.

Now I know that I speak for everyone who has written a story, but everyone wants to get a nice review. I just have a problem with authors who demand them.

You should be writing a story because you want to. Not because you want people to comment on it.

I'll tell you that the satisfied feeling I got when I finally finished "_Idiots Don't Get Sick", _was one of the best feelings I ever felt. I didn't care who hated it, I was proud of what I wrote. The reviews I got were like a cherry on top.

The other problem is kind of why I wanted to make this story. I mean really, "This is my first story, so please no flames." If it's your first story, then you should want all kinds of criticism. Let me tell you a little life fact that people hate to hear, you're not going to be perfect on your first try. It's great that you want to try your hand at writing, but if you're afraid of a little flames, than how can you avoid getting burned in the future?

You should take people's criticism and use it to better yourself as a writer.

Oh, and one more thing I want to say. I remember reading something on an author's comments to their story a while ago that makes me want to say something now. They said that they found "adding a story to their favorites and not leaving a review to be the rudest thing." And I kind of agree with them.

I know I said that reviews aren't everything, and you may call me a hypocrite for saying that, but if you're going to take the time to favorite a story, then you could at least take the time to write a quick comment on your favorite part of it, or what you thought should have been added. Reviews do help writing improve after all.

So now that that's said, I owe someone a review. It's a good thing that the story updates tomorrow...

* * *

**~Done**

**Sorry for the little rant. I didn't mean to come across as mean or as a hypocrite. **

**Thank you for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. Bye~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow three updates for this story in one day. I'm on a roll!**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

**_Character Lists_**

Writing characters can be tricky. I can't tell you the amount of times I've stopped and deleted paragraphs just because it didn't sound like something a character would say.

So my dear reader, I've come up with a trick to keeping the characters in character and that trick is called bullet points.

A simple concept, but so useful.

Feel free to use some of mine to help organize your basic characters.

**Luffy **

His nakama call him an idiot, but he's more so simple minded and prefers to keep things that way. Complications aren't fun.

He loves to explore.

His will power is strong, but not unbreakable.

He loves his nakama and they love him, though it might not appear that way.

He's called a monster, but he's still human.

**Zoro**

He trains a lot, which leaves him tired. Sleep is the way muscles grow.

He's like Ace, a big brother type. He looks out for everyone's wellbeing.

He's serious because someone needs to be.

**Sanji **

He was raised around rowdy, violent men. He is quick to anger because that's what he's used to. Zoro doesn't mind the fights. It's kind of like bonding time.

He loves women. He would never strike one. He could never hate one either. But every rule has an exception.

He insists that he lives to serve only the women. But he makes Luffy snacks too.

He's kind of like Sabo, a big brother and a gentleman.

**Nami**

She grew up with the idea that money is everything.

She knows that the crew hates having debts to pay, which is why she makes it impossible to pay back; so they stay longer.

The other reason is because it's a running gag. She is not greedy enough to use money as a means to control her friends.

She's like Dadan, she says she doesn't care, but she does. And she's the only person capable of ending Zoro's and Sanji's fights with just a punch.

**Chopper**

He's cute and innocent. He acts like a child because it's in his nature.

He is a very skilled doctor. If someone contracts an illness, he should be able to diagnose it.

He tries to emulate the crew.

**Robin**

She is like Makino, a mother figure.

She dose like children.

She has a dark sense of humor.

She can be very playful, and is very willing to partake in the crews antics.

**Franky**

He's like the playful father figure.

He's always trying to have fun.

Being SUPER is important.

**Usopp**

He's the instigator when it comes to Luffy and Chopper.

He's kind of like a normal person, and acts like a normal person would in the situations he finds himself in.

**Brook**

He's like the funny uncle of the group.

He loves to sing and he loves to tell jokes. It's what kept him sane during those years in the Florian Triangle.

Nothing keeps his spirits down for long.

Well this is the list I came up with. I hope it helps.

* * *

**~Done**

**Well I'm tired since it's now 3:00 AM so goodnight. **

**Also, did you notice the order I put the crew in? A youtuber's comment said that this was the correct order the Straw Hats joined the crew because Nami, Usopp, and Robin all left the crew at some point and then rejoined. I found the comment interesting and I decide to share it with you.**

**Thank you for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. Bye~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow, I stand corrected. Four updates in one day. It's amazing what ideas sleeping can put into your head.**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

_**Formatting**_

So one of the major pet peeves I have is when a story is formatted to look like a play's script. You know the ones that look like this:

_The Thousand Sunny sailed along the blue waters._

_Sanji- Nami-swan! I have your drink!_

_Zoro- Shut up, dartboard brow! I'm trying to sleep!_

_Sanji- You want to go moss head? (He placed the drink on a nearby table)_

_Zoro- (He drew his swords) Hell yah!_

Maybe my resent towards reading something that looks like this is due to my many years of being forced to read Shakespeare plays in high school. But regardless if that's the case or not, I still find it hard to read a story that is broken-down that way, well assuming it's not a videogame or a manga.

When a story is formatted this way, it gives off the impression that you're going to hire actors and direct them. Which is odd, to me at least.

So my suggestion to you my dear reader is to try to avoid formatting stories to look like plays. Instead try making them more like this:

_The Thousand Sunny sailed along the clear blue waters of the New World. There wasn't a cloud insight._

_Nami let out a sigh in relief as she skimmed the book in front of her. It was going to be a peaceful day. The weather wouldn't change anytime soon and she could catch up on her reading. The only thing that could make her day better was the drink Sanji was preparing her._

_"Nami-san, your drink is ready!" _

_"Speak of the devil." She thought humorously. _

_Zoro twitched in annoyance from his resting spot on the deck. Did the love-cook have to be so damn loud? _

_He slowly opened his eye slowly and grumbled obscenities as the cook began to gush louder and louder. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. _

_"Oi, shut up dartboard brow! I'm trying to sleep!"_

_The cook's body jerked in annoyance. He placed the drink down on the small table and excused himself from the lovely Nami-swan's presence and trudged over the swordsman. _

_"So much for a peaceful day." She thought._

_"You want to go moss head?" The cook glared down at the man._

_In one fluid motion, Zoro stood up and drew his swords._

_"What gave it away?"_

* * *

**~Done**

**Thank you for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. Bye~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7**

**Okay I was going to edit ****_Idiots Don't Get Sick_****, but after skimming through the One Piece Archive, I figured I had to at least start doing a chapter on ****_them_****...**

**If you like stories about Mary Sue's, I respect your decision, I just don't agree with it 99% of the time. **

**And I'm going to warn you now, this chapter is probably going to be half bashing OC's. Also, I may come across as kind of mean in this chapter. I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, but sometimes I come across as sounding angrier than I really am. **

**This is why I hate talking to people through a texting like format, people can take your words in so many different ways if you aren't careful. And sadly only my close personal friends get my sarcasm...**

**So anyway I hope that I don't a fend anyone. **

**_Marie D Suesse And The Mystery New Pirate Age!_ By Phalanx is probably the only OC centered story I've read and actual liked. Oh, and so is _Another Crewmate_ By HeroR I highly recommend reading both it if you want a good OC story that bashes OC stereotypes.**

* * *

**_OC's and Mary Sue's_**

Let's start with the first thing I find wrong with most OC centered stories…

It's how they're first introduced into the story. That's right, the very first chapter, that _should be_ the basis for the stories plot and setting completely turn me off. There is nothing harder than trying to read through something and feeling totally disconnected with it.

Now there are multiple different ways OC's are introduced to a story. The most common ones I've seen either describe them literally falling into the One Piece world, them already being a part of the One Piece world, them being related to a major character, or my personal favorite one where they are already a part of someone's crew.

**_FluffyDragonsLiveInMyHouse_** I can't agree more with you and your comment:

_"I kind of hate when I read a story, and it's like, "It was another peaceful day on the Sunny. Nami was in her room, updating the log book. Robin was below deck in the aquarium, reading one of the many books from the huge library on board. -" and then out of nowhere, "Natasha was on a sun-lounger, hoping in vain for a tan."  
'the hell's Natasha/this person?!' is always my line of thought"_

We have the same reaction whenever I see this happen…

I feel that whenever OC's are introduced, they either get some long winded character summary or they get nothing at all. There needs to be a balance. Remember, characters make the story happen and it's through their interactions that we see what the actual story is about. If you don't have a good balance, then your story seems jumbled and confused.

* * *

Now, Oda makes his characters relatable and likeable. I think it's safe to say that that's why we love One Piece so much. He gives them human qualities that include multiple strengths and multiple weaknesses. Not just ten good qualities and no bad qualities.

Oda balances his characters and gives backstories for every major quality, good or bad, they poses. But OC's have a tendency to be Godlike and out of place in the One Piece world. Or in other words, unrelatable.

I'm not saying that you have to go into that much detail and that much planning to create a believable character, especially if your story is just a simple one-shot. But keep in mind that the larger the story, the more involved the OC should be in the plot. That way they kind of blend in with the story instead of stand out.

It may seem hard to do, but in reality it's easier than you think. Just take a few qualities, maybe two or three if it's your first time, and give a kind of back story to why they made the character who they are.

Oh, and you want to know what direction you want your story to go in.

Basically, if you plan on writing about the values of nakama and family, then don't make your OC cold, sadistic and vain. Then make them do a total 180 and flip-flop personalities at a drop of a hat. It confuses people.

Instead, make them tsundere, kindhearted, and loving. It makes the story transition easier if we know that your OC is initially cold and even hostile towards another person, before they gradually show his or her warm side over time.

* * *

Another thing OC-centric stories tend to do is have every character love them.

If your character is going to be a Straw Hat than joining the crew is easy considering the captain's past actions.

But in order for them to be accepted by members like Zoro or Robin, they have to kind of prove their worth.

I know you want everyone to love your character, except maybe the villain, but if you want them to fit in, than give them a little, and I _stress_ little, backstory on how they proved themselves if you plan on just starting the story after they joined.

I think a good backstory's length should be no more than 2500 words, assuming that you're writing a fairly big story. Unless of course, they have a really, really complicated past… that last part was kind of a joke.

Remember when I said that you should pay attention to the manga's pacing? That applies for OC's too. During Oda's explanations for the Straw Hats back story, the past was sad to say the least, but Oda didn't make it overly complicated and it had a kind of logic to it that helped further the story.

For example:

Luffy lived in Foosha Village, his grandpa trained him when he was around, Luffy meet Shanks, Shanks gave his hat to Luffy, Garp found out and got mad, Garp gave Luffy to Dadan, Luffy met Ace, Luffy met Sabo, they became brothers, Sabo was taken away, Grey Terminal burned, Sabo "died", Ace and Luffy grew up.

I chose to do Luffy's back story because his is the most complicated. If it's your first time, that means that your OC's backstory shouldn't ever be more complicated than the main characters. Unless your particularly stilled at it.

Also, I'm going to mention this again, Oda isn't focusing on romance, which means that you better have a solid reason why Zoro, who is almost as asexual as Luffy, wants to marry your OC.

Try to think of OC's as guests. They have to abide to Oda's rules and regulations just as much as his characters have to.

* * *

Earlier today, I was skimming through the older stories on the archive and I stumbled upon an OC story.

The way the author introduced the character was by giving her a little description before the story actually started.

This method is great for introducing the character to us if they plan on just diving into the story. And it's not the way, in this case anyway, that the character was introduce, but the way they described the character that bugged me.

They listed some character traits that made me confused. They said that their OC was caring and sadistic. If that's not a contradiction than I don't know what is.

Maybe they meant that the OC was sadistic towards enemies and caring towards friends, I don't know because I didn't read much of the story, so shame on me for not seeing what the author actually meant, but just the contradiction alone made me want to write this chapter today.

The point of addressing this is because I've seen others describe their characters in contradictions like this. It makes me think that they don't know the meaning of the words or that the character is just as confused as the plot.

For instance:

_If the characters are one-dimensional and shallow, so is the plot._

Which brings me back to my other point of the characters make the story.

If you have a shallow main focus, than chances are your story isn't going to have any depth to it.

* * *

**~Done**

**If I said it once, then I'll say it a thousand times. The point of this site is to be creative and have fun. My opinions and criticisms shouldn't deter you from writing about what you want to do.**

**But I do hope that you like my advice, and I hope it helps you out in the future**

**OC's are a tricky subject, so I probably will have more to say about them eventually. So consider this a part one.**

**And I just realize that I never said "my dear reader" this chapter. I guess that proves how serious this one was for me to write.**

**Anyway thanks for reading. **

**I hope you have a wonderful day/night. Bye~**


	9. Chapter 9

**I just wanted to say that I'm in a really good mood~**

**I don't mean to brag or anything like that, but I finished _Idiots Don't Get Sick_ and I broke 20,000 words. Not to shabby since it was supposed to be a short one shot. And it's my first real story too XD**

**And since I'm in such a good mood, I decided to update this story today too.**

**Please enjoy.**

**Chapter 8**

* * *

**_Writer's Block_**

One of my guest reviewers asked me if I had any tips for sever writer's block. Although I'm not sure if they are being serious or not, I found the comment to be hilarious because I always wondered why I get writers block whenever I try writing school papers, but I digress.

I do in fact have some tips for curing this annoying disease. I hope they help you like they help me.

* * *

For starters, I have a trick to avoid getting writers block while you're in the middle of writing out a story. It's a little something I like to call a detailed brainstorm.

If you know the details and plan them out before you actually write the story, you can save yourself a lot of time.

I understand that a lot of people already know this so I'm just going to leave this particular trick at that.

* * *

It helps to take a break from writing your story, if you get stuck.

Go outside, play a videogame, watch an episode of the anime or read the manga, even reading other stories from this site can give you ideas and inspiration.

If you're nervous that you might be stealing ideas from someone by using this method, than don't be.

You're not plagiarizing if your just taking a concept form another story. And it can be fun adding your own twist to it, as a means of fitting in with your story.

And besides, copying something is the ultimate form of flattery.

* * *

If you want to write a story and your not sure on what you want to do, you can look up old story prompts.

They sometimes have guidelines that help make writing easier. Or you can ignore them and just make something up.

* * *

Ask a friend to help you if your stuck.

Even if what your friend comes up with isn't what you want to use, it still helps you out. Well, most of the time anyway.

* * *

Try mixing up your genre of writing.

If you usually do romance stories, maybe write a nakamaship one instead.

It can be refreshing for you and your readers.

* * *

Make a story in the character's perspective.

Sometimes switching between pov's is hard.

Focusing on one character is easier, and you really learn how that character thinks by doing it.

* * *

**~Done**

**Well, that's all I can come up with, If I think of any more, I'll be sure to write them down.**

**Also, If you have anything you want me to write about or address, I'm open for ideas.**

**I can only think of so many things to write about, after all. So please, don't be shy.**

**As always thanks for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. Bye~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sigh, why is it that every time I write something like this, I feel like I'm being mean?**

**Well, if that's the case, please let me know. I promise I wont be offended and I'll try my best to be nicer.**

**Chapter 9**

* * *

**_Awkward Descriptions_**

Have you ever read a story, and the author makes a reference to something, but they don't know how to describe it.

For Example:

_Nami glared angrily at her captain. Her teeth did that weird anime shark face thing. _

Or

_She was wearing a black dress. (It's like the one Robin wore at Enies Lobby, only it had blah, blah, blah.) _

Ugh, the first one was a terrible example, but you get the point.

Whenever I see this, it just breaks up the flow of the story for me.

I get not really knowing how to describe something, but when people do this, it just feels like they're taking the lazy way out.

Maybe it's just me, and I mean this in the sincerest way possible, but I don't understand how hard is it to give your own details on something, when you're copying the design from something you've already seen.

* * *

But if you really don't know how to describe something... then I guess what I do is to try and break it down into its most important features.

Just for arguments sake, lets break the shark face reference down into its key features:

A glare and pointy teeth, the face may be red or show an exposed vein.

So when I put it all together, I get:

_Nami glared heatedly at her captain. Her face was red with anger and her mouth curled back into a snarl, exposing her teeth, which looked as if they had been sharpened for some odd reason._

Or when I use the other example:

_She was wearing a short black dress that had white trimming around the edges. It cut low, exposing her voluptuous chest. The way the light hit it made the sequence sparkle, accenting the flowery design imprinted in the dress._

See it's not that hard if you break what your describing down into the main features, for me at least.

It may be different for you but just try and give it your best attempt. Writing anything, descriptions or even an entire story, gets easier with practice.

Instead of telling us what it is, show us.

* * *

**~Done**

**And if you have anything you want me to address, please let me know :)**

**As always thanks for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. Bye~**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 10**

* * *

_**Know the Flow of Your Plot**_

I've mentioned the word "flow" a few times throughout my story. But what do I mean when I say the word "flow"? Well my dear reader, as the name implies, "flow" means to move or run smoothly with unbroken continuity. So how does that actually apply to your writing?

You see, the problem I found with the concept of "flow" for most writers wasn't the fact that they didn't know what it was (everyone knows that a good story flows together smoothly), but it was the fact that they either weren't aware that their story sounded or felt choppy, or that they had a hard time connecting the pieces of their story to give a deeper meaning to it.

Now, I've mentioned this before, but I know some writers write with the intent of being smutty or just plain romantic. However, I can tell you right now that if you don't give your story some layers to it, then it's not much of a story.

* * *

I want you to think back to a story you've read that just didn't seem to have a plot other than character A loves character B and they want to be together, but someone wants to break them up. That scenario is tired and predictable. There is no thought to it and almost no hidden meaning to the story, which is what makes a story _really_ entertaining.

I know I said that I would be using One Piece examples, but I feel that a Pokémon example would be more fitting for this subject.

So, I know a lot of people who have been diehard fans of the Pokémon cartoon since they were able to crawl. And let's face it, with each new season, it's the same thing regurgitated back to us. Yet, we still find ourselves watching it occasionally, and dare I say, liking it despite the fact at how similar it may be to previous episodes. Have you ever wondered why?

Well, if you really think about it, Pokémon may reuse its main themes and concepts, but it still comes up with different, or slightly different at the very least, scenarios that give the episode a different feel to it other than it being the same thing but with different characters.

* * *

If you look back at what I originally started to talk about, then you may have noticed that I kind of got off topic from talking about "flow". I digressed from talking about that, to talking about hidden meanings to stories, which I never really did cover what they actually were when I mentioned them.

Granted, your flow of a story leads to a plot, but that's not the point I'm trying to make at this particular segment in this chapter.

Anyway, did you notice that I kind of got off topic? If I'm doing this right, and if I'm not than just go along with it for the sake of an example, then you shouldn't have really noticed too much.

You see my dear reader, I (attempted) to demonstrate a good flow to a story. My thoughts transitioned into the next smoothly and it didn't seem be choppy at all.

* * *

I found the website called theedditorsblog, and on that website, I found _How Goes the Flow in Your Story? _By Beth Hill.

Hill states that, _"Stories should flow, move along without impediment, and lead ever forward. Stories should draw the reader deeper into the tale and ultimately dump him out at the end, satisfied at having taken the adventure with your characters."_

Hill also gives a detailed list that points out some flaws writers sometimes have when creating a good story. So, for the sake of giving you some pointers I've learned from her, I'm going to summarize some of her statements. Please note that I'm using her words and thoughts, not mine.

**Impediments**:

**Stilted writing- **Maintain your character's personality with _their_ ownwords. If your character is Luffy, than don't have him using "big words".

**Redundancy-** Although repetition is a useful thing, do we really need to hear the same thing repeated to us ten times within the last 200 words?

**Bad writing**- When the reader can't follow the meaning or the sequence of events, when he has to go back several lines or paragraphs or pages to figure out what's going on, that reader isn't following a smooth story flow. Challenging a reader can be good. Frustrating a reader with sentences that make no sense or story lines that lack logic is never good. Let your plot and characters rile your readers; let the mechanics of writing remain invisible.

**Write with freedom**- Compose your plots and dialogue freely. You can always rein in phrasing that's too loose. But if you don't write loose at least some of the time, you'll never achieve the particular flow that comes through letting go, letting yourself fling words on the page with no thought to meaning or logic or consequence.

* * *

Finding and putting together a plot can be easy, if you know what direction you want your story to go in.

But what if you kind of have an idea, but you don't know what to do with it?

Well, as Luffy stated, "That's something you'll have to decide on your own!"

The objective of any good story is to take your readers on an adventure. But, all stories should have at least one underlining meaning. It gives your story depth and originality.

You're supposed to sneak in your own thoughts and feelings into your story. Not cover them up with shallow plots of tired material.

If Zoro is going to fall in love with someone, the reason behind it can't simply be because she/he is beautiful. Think about why you want Zoro to love that character. Maybe she/he is the spitting image of Kuina and you want to give your insight as to what that relationship means to Zoro. Or maybe you want that person to discover the dynamics of the Straw Hat Crew and learn from them how to be apart of family.

Think about some old fairy tales you have read, they always had some valuable life lesson in them, right? Your story shouldn't be any different, regardless if you're writing a one-shot, or a romance piece with as much smut as possible. That's right my dear reader, even stories that have a lot of sexual content in them can have some hidden moral in them.

It's up to you to guide us to it.

* * *

**~Done**

**I think that this chapter is like a summary of some of my previous tips, but anyway...**

**Thanks again for reading, I hope it helps you out!**

**I have an example story for what I meant when I said to sneak your own thoughts and feelings into your story. If you want to check it out, then look for the story titled "_Lucky_" under my profile. It's not the best example, but I think I made my thoughts clear in it, and maybe it will even help you get what I meant better, assuming I didn't explain myself well enough.**

**If you want me to address something, than please let me know!**

**Again, Thank you for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. Bye~**


	12. Chapter 12

**I was inspired to write this because I've been playing Skyrim a lot lately the leveling system got me thinking... **

**A****nd somehow my thinking turned into this. I don't really get it either.**

**Chapter 11**

* * *

**_Writing Level_**

Well, I'd never thought I would say this or admit it out loud, but the SAT's were good for something after all. Who knew?

Anyway, today I want to talk about a writer's level, and how knowing your current level can help you improve your writing.

So, as I was saying before, the SAT's are useful. Well, their _writer's rubric_ is anyway.

You see, when I was in high school, my teachers would grade our writing with the very same rubric. And as much as I want to believe that they did it to spite us, it did help our writing improve.

My teachers would tell us to grade our own writing with the rubric before we handed in a final copy, and the rubric acted kind of like a guideline for "good" writing.

So, my dear reader, since it helped me realize what level I was at and what I needed to improve upon, I figured it could help you.

Please note that I'm well aware of the fact that this list should be more extensive. But for the sake of making it as simple and as easy to follow as possible, I'm just going to make each level as generalized as possible.

* * *

_**Level 1**_- Your story has no central idea, or supporting details. Ideas were unorganized or vague and had no particular flow. Your story did not feel like it was a part of the universe you were writing about, at all. Your writing was confusing and hard to follow. It contains run-on sentences and the written work has serious and persistent errors. It lacks creativity and personal thought.

**_Level 2_**- Your story has a vague central idea with little supporting reasons as to why events are occurring. It has very little organization and flow. Characters are slightly in character. It lacks creativity. Sentence structure is hard to follow. Overall, your story doesn't feel like it's a part of the universe you're writing about.

**_Level 3_**- Your story has a central idea with some reasons as to why events are occurring. It flows well, but it's not perfect. You have a mostly original plot, but it may be familiar and tired. Characters are mostly in character, but they sometimes fall out of character. Your story has plausible reasoning behind it and it feels like it could happen. Sentence structure is easy to follow, but has some glaring errors every now and then.

**_Level 4_**- Your story has a complex central idea and reasons behind events occurring. It flows smoothly. Your plot is original and you sneak in your own ideas and preferences into your story without disrupting the flow. Characters never seem to fall out of character. Your story is plausible and feels like it could happen. There are minor errors that do not affect the total presentation of your story.

* * *

Now, my dear reader, I want _you_ to _honestly_ grade your writing.

If you think that you're a combination of a 3 and 4, than you're a combination of a 3 and 4. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The point of the "level system" is to help you see where you are and how you can improve.

My advice to those of you who would use this system is to be as harsh as possible. Grade yourself critically and make a mental list of all the things you feel that you should improve upon in the future. That way you don't make the same "mistakes" twice.

And if you think you're a 4, than I just want you to keep in mind that your writing can always improve.

* * *

**~Done**

**If you want me to address something, than please let me know!**

**Again, Thank you for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. Bye~**


	13. Chapter 13

**Wow, two chapters in one day~**

**Chapter 12**

* * *

**_Hidden Meanings and You_**

I've mentioned that hidden meanings in stories make them more interesting.

Professional authors are very particular with their wording and they don't write something down without a purpose. Most of the time, they use the little details to foreshadow events or they use them as symbolism to further explain a situation.

Oda uses the crew to foreshadow events that happen to Luffy. For example, remember the way Bell-mère died? Do you find it weird that Ace died almost the exact same way?

Or as another example, has anyone ever played Kingdom Hearts or at least knows a good chunk of the story? Sorry, it's my new obsession, so I had to write something about it since it kind of fit this chapters theme. Anyway, have you ever noticed this: Kairi can mean the word sea in Japanese and Aqua means water? Or how Riku means land and Terra is another word for land? And finally, Sora means sky and Ventus means "air"…Got it memorized?

As you can see, professionals use hidden meanings in their stories all the time. It makes it seem that their story was more thought out and involved than we originally expected. And who doesn't love a well thought out story?

So how do you include hidden meanings in your own writing? Well my dear reader, it all depends on what type of hidden meaning you want to apply.

I've figured out that there are, for the most part, three types of hidden meanings. There were the two I mentioned before, and another one. The last type of hidden meaning is something I like to call "personal thought."

In one of my other chapters, I said that you're supposed to sneak your own thoughts and feelings into your story, the trick to it is not disrupting the flow. Remember it's important to keep the story moving forward.

* * *

The type of situation your character is in determines the hidden meaning:

**Foreshadowing**- Bell-mère's and Ace's death.

**Symbolism**- Kairi, Riku and Sora, are essentially similar to Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, in that order. (sorry if you don't get the reference, all you need to know is that Kairi, Riku and Sora went on similar paths to Aqua, Terra, and Ventus)

**Personal Thought**- "If Luffy didn't understand how his luck _really_ worked before, he certainly did now. He found out the hard way that his luck only worked for him and him alone. It wasn't protecting his family like it did for him. No, it didn't care who took his place, as long as he got out alive. Seeing his brother get punched through the chest really made that clear." (Taken from my fic _Lucky_, I added my thoughts on Luffy's luck without changing Luffy's point of view to my own)

* * *

Nothing pleases a writer more than when people get what they're writing. It makes them feel like they did something right.

If you're like me, then you'll usually get hidden meanings after the fact, and that's OK too. It just makes the story more fun when you finally do figure it all out.

* * *

**~Done**

**Oh, I just want to mention something to all of you readers out there who have trouble getting hidden meanings. **

**Please try not to take the meaning out on context. I've read nakamaship pieces and I usually see someone write how much of a good couple the two main focuses are... Its like they didn't read the word "nakamaship" in the summary. I know your entitled to think what you want, but it kind of bothers me when the theme is stated and then people still don't understand the actual meaning of the piece. I really don't know why that bothers me so much...**

**Well, if you have any suggestions as to what I should make my next chapter about, please let me know!**

**As always, thanks for reading~**


	14. Chapter 14

**Starting my first actual week of college on Monday! **

**The only down side is that I have a paper due on my _awful_ summer reading book on, well, Monday...**

**And what do I do instead of working on it? Procrastinating!**

**So I figured I'd update this while I still have time.**

**Lucky You~**

* * *

_**"Kiddy" Writing**_

I know that age plays a huge role when it comes to writing and its only natural that the younger you are, the more "kiddy" your writing sounds. However, my problem with "kiddy" writing is that authors aren't usually aware of the fact that their writing may sound that way.

* * *

So what do I mean by "kiddy" writing?

Well, I guess you could say that it's your writing style, or more accurately, your total grammatical presentation.

Choppy sentences, two-dimensional main characters, a lack of essential detail, straightforward sentences, and worst of all, a pacing that does not flow, all fall under my category of "kiddy" writing.

* * *

I was inspired to write this after _**Frostheart D. Blaize**_ asked me to rate her story, _**A lil' Bit of**** Problems**. _And with her permission, I will share with you, my dear reader, what I told her.

Since I have a hard time explaining my point, I use examples to stress what I mean. So, below, you will find part of her story original story and under that, you will find my edited and revised version of it.

* * *

_**Frostheart D. Blaize**_:

_*pant* *pant*_

The leaves rustled as their chase goes on.

"**SKY WALK!"** Sanji said as he sprint in the air.

"**FROST BARRAGE!"** From nowhere a gigantic wall of high condensed snow, stopping the cook from his tracks and causing him to drop his crewmates.

"**WINTER SPIKES!"** cried a girl as she crossed her arm releasing sharp icicles that hurled themselves en route the blonde

He was swift, but not swift enough. Sanji's speed allowed him to bypass the assault but the weight of his unconscious crewmates slacked his pace. This eventually led to him being impaled by two serrated hailstones at his left knee cap and right shoulder.

"Aaahhhh..." he howled in pain, causing him to drop his two slumbered comrades.

Sanji grasped his leg in pain when someone spoke up.

"My, my" a seductive voice called "Not looking so good now, Black Leg."

"You...!" growled the cook

From the mist, a tall, slender woman arrayed in a lab coat transpired. She had light blue hair covering her back and black-tinted goggles strapped on top her head.

**My version:**

"SKY WALK!" Sanji wheezed out as he sprint in the air.  
"FROST BARRAGE!"  
From nowhere, a wall of condensed snow rushed at the Straw Hat's chef, stopping the cook in his tracks. Sanji evaded the oncoming snow with shocking difficulty, his unconscious crewmates weighed him down.  
He tried steadying himself, only to overbalance and weakly stumble in the air. He gritted his teeth in fear, realizing that his pursuers caught up to them.

"WINTER SPIKES!" cried the girl as she crossed her arm releasing sharp icicles that hurled themselves at the blond.  
The normally swift chef willed himself to straighten out, but he wasn't able to make it in time. Searing pain erupted from his impaled knee cap and right shoulder.  
"Aaahhhh..." he howled in pain. He and his comrades fell to the ground.  
Sanji grasped his leg in pain.  
He heard casual footsteps walking towards their fallen bodies.  
"My, my-" the seductive voice of a lady called "-not looking so good now, Black Leg."  
"You...!" growled the cook.  
From the mist, that had been chasing him tirelessly, out stepped a tall, slender woman garbed in a simple lab coat. Her light blue hair swayed gently on her back, the black-tinted goggles strapped on top her head held back the long locks that threatened to fall onto her face.

* * *

So in my original review to _**Frostheart**_, I said that her:

"Characters are in character and their interactions with each other are accurate. The only reason I wouldn't give it a 4 ( I gave her a 3 out of 4) is because of your presentation.  
Your sentences make sense and I can follow along just fine. But the tone of the story is "kid-ish". What I mean by that is that your sentences are simple. I feel that you could do a better job of including detail into your fic._ I feel that what you originally had was more of a rough draft that didn't have a lot of details in it_.  
If you go back over and add in some extra details, then your fic will have a stronger presence to it.

_**Frostheart**_ has a very good story in progress, but her lack of detail and straightforward sentences kind of took away from the total experience.

Other than that there is nothing wrong with the fic, it's interesting and it's original, but it just lacked a certain presence to it.

* * *

Oh and what I mean by "straightforward" sentences is, as the name implies, that they were too blunt.

For example:

_"From the mist, a tall, slender woman arrayed in a lab coat transpired. She had light blue hair covering her back and black-tinted goggles strapped on top her head."_

The sentence stood out too much from the story and as a result, kind of interrupted the flow. Instead of writing it like someone, who is apart of the story, was noting her appearance, it was written in a way that makes it seem the author was interrupting the story, just to add a character description to it.

* * *

What I hope you gain from this particular chapter, my dear reader, is that you are more aware of your own writing style.

Are you not including enough detail? Too much pointless detail that doesn't effect the story? Are your characters two-dimensional, when they should be three-dimensional? Do your sentences seem randomly thrown into your story when they should be apart of your story?

These are all questions you should be thinking about when you write a story.

* * *

**~Done**

**Hmm, I don't think I like this chapter too much... I feel like my thoughts are too jumbled and I repeated my point too much. But if it gets the message across, then I guess I did a good job.**

**Anyway, I want to thank _Frostheart_ for allowing me to use her as an example. I hope I didn't sound too mean~**

**Oh, and check her story out, too!**

**As always thanks for reading~**


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